SINGAPORE STREET NOODLES

I love Singapore Street Noodles. How many of you have stayed away from home, loved ones or your favorite food? I am sure everyone can vouch for me when I say, “Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder”. Living continents away from home is no cake walk! You begin to crave for that familiar language, smells, taste and anything that your brain associates with HOME. So the saga of search for food with Indian flavors begins for most Indians outside of India. It is something that never ends!

When I walked into one of the popular chain of restaurants and found Singapore street noodles on the menu described as curry based noodles, I thought, “Interesting”. And when I had the first bite, It was as if I had hit the home button in my brain! I eventually was able to replicate that at home.

Salt to taste (be miserly because noodles requires less & soya has some inherent saltiness to it)

5 tbsp oil (be liberal or your noodles will turn out sticky!)

Directions

Keep the vegetables chopped and the spices measured.

Bring a pan full of water to boil. Once the water starts boiling, turn the stove off. Add the noodles, cover & let it cook for about ten minutes.

Finish the following steps before the noodles get cooked.

Heat oil in a wok (Stainless 14-Inch Stir-Fry Pan,else, use a large bottom pan because there should be no moisture remaining in veggies or noodles) over medium heat, add ginger, garlic and chopped scallions

Once they lose the raw smell, add the vegetables into the wok.

Add the carrots and sauté for 2 min; add the bell peppers and sauté for 2 min. Next, add the baby corn and cabbage & sauté for 3 min (Use medium heat only and do not overcook, the vegetables should retain their crunch)

The noodles should be cooked by now. Drain them well and keep aside.

Add turmeric, curry powder, red chili paste, soya sauce and salt into the wok. Mix and cook for a min.

Add the noodles and mix. If the process of mixing is taking long, take the wok off the heat and mix. Mix well.

Heat, garnish and serve!

My Take:

The trick to any perfect noodle dish is:

a) Never let the noodles overcook.

b) Do not let the noodles stand out for long after draining it.

c) Do not let the veggies soak in the sauces and spices for long.

d) To achieve the above, finish your prepping before starting the cooking process. That way, you can time the adding of spices to veggies & draining the noodle down to a minute or 2.